The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Monarda didyma. The new cultivar will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Purple Lace’. ‘Purple Lace’ represents a new cultivar of bee balm suitable for use as a garden plant.
The new cultivar arose from on ongoing breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands. ‘Purple Lace’ arose from a cross made in 2010 between ‘Cranberry Lace’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/385,839, abandoned) as the female parent and ‘Pink Lace’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,367) as the male parent. The new cultivar was selected in July of 2011 as a single unique plant from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stem cuttings by the Inventor in 2012 in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands. Asexual propagation by cuttings and tissue culture has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.